Create a Better Working Environment.

Does a Better Workplace Increase Productivity?

﻿Does a better working environment produce better workers? ﻿ Organisations are increasingly realising the importance of improving the working conditions of their employees and the impact this has both on morale and productivity. Not only does a clean, healthy and productive working environment usually mean a reduction in staff sickness levels, but research also suggests that healthy working conditions and pleasant surroundings can lead to an increase in employee performance and productivity.

Organisational psychologist, Judith Heerwagen, a former Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist, suggests that the connection between productivity and the workplace environment are directly related through the concept of ability, motivation and opportunity. She further asserts that comfortable working conditions can positively affect the ability of employees to perform. Employees can be motivated by providing conditions that help promote positive functioning, psychological engagement and personal control. Firstly, reducing health and safety risks at the workplace, and improving working conditions by removing uncomfortable, distracting and hazardous elements is imperative. Secondly, Heerwagen suggests that a good environment can contribute towards positive thought processes and encourage the behaviors that lead to increased employee motivation and output. It is suggested that design elements of the workplace can impact positively on the attitudes of the employees.

Therefore, in order to begin to increase employee well being and subsequent productivity, Businesses are advised to give due consideration to these 10 key factors: 1. Comfort and temperature of the workplace Workplaces should have a comfortable temperature to work in. Organisations need to ensure that they have the right combination of airflow and humidity to ensure a consistent comfortable temperature is maintained throughout the day. This leads to a good physical environment and has been shown to have a huge impact on efficient, astute and active employees. 2. Access to nature – sun light and views The office should have ample windows or close access to nature. Active and passive contact with nature can have a huge positive impact on well-being. Consider a floor layout that maximizes the number of staff benefiting from being near a window. Try to reserve the darker areas of the office for storage. Consider introducing plants near those who have no or little views.3. Colour of the walls Introducing different textures and colour within the premises can help break workplace monotony. The use of different colours is also suggested to be associated with enhancing different moods and promoting a desired set of behavior so consider your choice of interior company colours with care. 4. Ventilation Proper ventilation and airflow can not only help create a healthy work environment but also raise alertness and keep employees fresh. 5. Noise pollution Noise from the surroundings can significantly affect work performance. Employees may feel distracted and drained when exposed to noise pollution. If your office is in an area subject to excessive or constant noise, then consider noise proofing your windows. If the internal environment is particularly noisy, then sound-absorbing boards can make a massive difference to absorbing & softening sound. These non-obtrusive fabric covered sound panels can also be designed to incorporate company logos, artwork prints, blocks of company colours or simply a positive colour set. 6. Working space The comfort of Employees is vitally important when it comes to increasing productivity. Closely arranged tables or lack of storage in the work place can be irritating and disturbing for employees. Try to avoid clutter and a work-space that is difficult to navigate. 7. CleanlinessRegimented, thorough and fastidious cleanliness in the office, along with good hygiene facilities will not only ensure a healthy working environment but can also contribute significantly to reducing staff sick days. 8. Is your workplace too clinical? Many businesses, particularly those in serviced or rented offices, give no or little consideration to the overall ambiance of the workplace, often having stark lighting and clinical, bare whitewashed walls as their surroundings by default. Consider accentuating and softening the space with motivational or relevant pictures, plants and an introduction of colour via screens or partitions. 9. Access to the workplace Make sure that all pavements and paths and routes to staff seating are clear from disruption. Easy access to workstations will also increase mobility of the employees. 10. Paper and files No one likes to work in an office with a lot of paper and files cluttered here and there. If an office is over cluttered it may distract employees and enhance a feeling of irritation and overworked chaos. Be sure to provide ample storage and assign responsibility for clearing away paper, packaging, and general debris in order to keep an overall tidy & organised office. If upon inspection many of your staff have cluttered, messy desks covered in paper, then the simple provision of stacked file storage or desk tidies may actually make a huge impact to restoring a sense of organisation and calm to the environment.